Matthew 8:9

Matthew 8:9 is the ninth verse of the eighth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. This verse continues the miracle story of healing the centurion's servant, the second of a series of miracles in Matthew.

Matthew 8:9
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Stained glass window by Alfred Ernest Child at St. Brendan's Cathedral, Loughrea, County Galway, Ireland, depicting the Centurion
Book	Gospel of Matthew
Christian Bible part	New Testament

Content

In the original Greek according to Westcott-Hort this verse is:

και γαρ εγω ανθρωπος ειμι υπο εξουσιαν [τασσομενος] εχων υπ εμαυτον

στρατιωτας και λεγω τουτω πορευθητι και πορευεται και αλλω ερχου και

ερχεται και τω δουλω μου ποιησον τουτο και ποιει

In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:

For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me:

and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come,

and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.

The New International Version translates the passage as:

For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me.

I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,'

and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."

For a collection of other versions see BibleHub Matthew 8:9.

Analysis

This verse is almost identical to Luke 7:8 with only one word spelt differently.[1]

In this verse the Centurion lists examples for how readily his orders are obeyed. The meaning of this verse is not explicit in either Matthew or Luke. One interpretation is that if even a junior officer can have the men under him obey his orders then Jesus with no authority above him can perform great miracles.[1] The alternative is that as the Centurion's power derives from his place in the military ranks so do does Jesus power derive from place in the spiritual hierarchy. The opening of the verse can be translated as "I too am a man under authority" making that parallel between the Jesus and the Centurion more explicit.[2] This interpretation that does not meet later Christology may explain why the Codex Sinaiticus has an altered version of this verse where the Centurion states that he is a "man who has authority." A scribe may have incorrectly copied the text to any confusion.[3]

The words of the Centurion are obeyed by his subordinates so he merely needs to speak for action to happen. This is the same with Jesus who merely needs to speak to bring about miracles. The verse may imply that like with the Centurion Jesus' miracle will involve those below him performing the act, either his disciples or angels.[4] The notion of the disciples performing miracles under Jesus' delegated authority does appear at Matthew 10:8 and 10:40.[2]

References

1. W. D. Davies; Dale C. Allison (Jr.) (1988). Matthew Vol 2. Clark. p. 23.
2. Craig S. Keener (1999). A Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 267. ISBN 978-0-8028-3821-6.
3. Gundry, Robert H. Matthew a Commentary on his Literary and Theological Art. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1982. pg 144
4. Francis Wright Beare (1981). The Gospel according to Matthew : translation, introduction and commentary. Harper & Row. p. 208.